THIS RESTAURANT HAS NOW CLOSED
In a world where restaurants seen to come and go in the blink of an eye there is something reassuring about Le Caprice in London’s Piccadilly. A feature on Arlington Street for over thirty years it stands as a testament to the fact that if you give people what they want they will come back again and again. My visit last week was the first in a number of years but it hadn’t changed much, still as busy as ever and we were extremely lucky to get a table for lunch without a reservation. There are still the celebrity photographs on the walls but it is so much more than that, it is a calm and relaxing dining room despite being busy, where service is attentive without being overbearing. It is so comfortable that you want to come back, maybe not next week, but it will always be on the list of restaurants to visit in London.
The menu has a certain familiarity about it with some well chosen specials of the day. There is something for everyone in what might be described as a modern British style. The cooking is good and consistent across the dishes we had. The tuna ceviche had lovely balance with the chilli complementing and enhancing rather than overpowering with its heat. The John Dory, perhaps my favourite fish, was just excellent, perfectly cooked and with a chorizo croquette that had crispness with a beautifully smooth filling. To finish the Seville orange almond cake was perfectly moist and the olive oil ice cream was subtle and delicate.
The relatively short wine list features mainly French wines along with some well chosen bottles from the rest of the world. We went with the Good Ordinary White from nearby merchants Berry Brothers & Rudd. Nothing ordinary here, bags of lime and gooseberry with freshness and a great accompaniment to lunch. As you might expect from its location prices aren’t cheap here but in my view it offers value for money on many levels and I for one will be back one day.